Things to know about e-bike, e-trike restriction in Metro Manila
MANILA, Philippines – The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is all set to implement its road restriction on e-bicycles, e-tricycles, tricycles, pedicabs, and more starting April 15.
It publicized the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the new policy last Monday, April 1. Active transport advocates from the Move As One Coalition had hoped to have more chances to contribute to the crafting of the IRR, after being told by MMDA officials in a March 11 meeting that they would get to see a draft IRR before its release.
After following up thrice with the MMDA for the draft, they received from the agency the IRR that was eventually released to the public.
What do commuters and motorists need to know about the road restriction? Here’s a summary of important points, based on the MMDA’s Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 4, Series of 2024, and related announcements by government agencies.
Section 5 of the MMDA memo circular states that LEVs – electric bicycles, electric scooters, and similar vehicles weighing less than 50 kilograms – can still traverse the roads covered by the restriction, if they are inside established bike lanes.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) emphasized this exception in a post.
“Pwede pa rin kayo!” said the DOTR’s Active Transport Project Office in a Wednesday Facebook post.
It reiterated that bicycles, electric kick scooters, e-tricycles, and electric unicycles may use bike lanes on all major roads, as long as they keep to a speed limit of 25 kilometers an hour and weigh less than 50 kilograms.
Active transport advocates pointed out to Rappler that the term used by MMDA – “prohibition” – could confuse LEV users into thinking they are completely banned from national roads.
E-bicycles, e-tricycles, electric kickscooters, electric scooters, electric unicycles, tricycles, pushcarts, pedicabs, kuligligs (pedicab mounted with a motorized engine)
E-bikes, e-trikes, pedicabs, tricycles, and other covered vehicles are allowed on these major roads, outside the bike lanes, if they need to cross the road. In these cases, the MMDA states the covered vehicles have to yield to all incoming traffic.
Tricycles are allowed to traverse the
